Storage battery.



T. A. EDISON.

STORAGE BATTERY.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 11, 1912.

Patented Sept. 16,1913.

c of Llewellyn. Pa1lt','lVest Orange, Essex Batteries,

alkaline electrolyte is employed and in which 'portable combinec electric lamps and stor-- adapted for small batteries of this class, but

UNITED STAT S PATENT curios.

THOMAS A. nnrson, on LLEWEL YNPARK, WEST ORANGE, new JERSEY, ASSIGNOR To EDISON STORAGE BATTERY COMPANY, OF WEST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, A COR- PORATION OF NEW JERSEY,

STORAGE BATTERY. 7

Application filed January 11, 1912. Serial No. 670,553.

To all whom, it may concern."

Be it known that 1,; THOMAS A. EDISON,9.- citizen of the Unitedlg States, and a resident county, New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Storage of whichthe following is a specification.

My invention relates generally to storage batteries, and more particularly to storage v batteries of the Edison type in which an the positive elements contain flake nickel and nickel hydroxid and the negativeelements contain electrolytically active finely 'j divided iron or oxid of iron.

One of the objects of my invention is the provision of a small storage battery suitablefor use wherever a battery of only a small capacity and discharge rate is needed, and, particularly adapted for use where a portable battery is re uired, as for example, in

age batteries.

Another object of my invention is the pro-- vision of a gas valve or vent particularly capable of use in connection with batteries of other types and of other sizes. v

Inthe drawings which accompany and form a part of this specification, and in which like reference characters are employed to designate like parts throughopt the several views-Figure 1 is an elevation partly in section of a stora 'e battery cell embodying my invention; +1g. 2 is a sideelevation of the central positive plate; Fig. 3 is a section onthe line 33' of Fi t-1; Fig. 4 isa top plan'view of the cell; Fig. 5 is a detail of construction in section on the line 55 of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a vertical section th-rough the valve or vent, some of the parts being shown in elevation; Fig. 7 is a top plan View of the valve or vent with the cap removed; Fig. 8'" is a. bottom plan view of the valve or vent; and Fig. 9' is a vertical section through a portion ofthe battery top and a modified form of valve or vent, some of the parts being shown in elevation.

Referring to the drawings, a container is shown at 1, which is preferably made .of nickel-plated steel and is cylindrical in form and provided with a top 2 and a bottom 8, the top 2 and bottom 3 being welded in andslecves in place; 4 v The negative place. The container 1 is partly filled with the electrolyte 4 which consists preferably of a solution of )otassium hydroxid in distilled water with lithia.- The .top '2 of the container is provided with openings for the terminals 5 and 6 and for the valve or vent 7. At 8 is shown the fillingopening and the closure therefor. The battery plates are assembled so as to form a unitary structure. This structure includes positive plates 9, 10. and

111, and negative plates 20, 2 1, 22 and 23. The positive plates consist of steel nickelplated steel tubes 13. The-tubes are filled I with alternate layers of nickel hydroxid and pure metallic nickel in thin flakes.

tubes 13 are secured in place in the grids. by

- bent-over portions 14 of the'grids, as shown in Fig. 2. The positive plates 9, 10 and 11 are mechanically and electrically secured togethcr l1 means of a rod 15 passing transversely t rough them near the1r' upper ends.

threaded at each .end and is provided with The a small percentage of plated frames or' grids containing nickel-1 Metal sleeves 17 and 17 are threaded on the rod 15 and serve to space apart the positive plates 9, 10 and 11. The rod 15 is screw nuts 16 for the 'end's to secure plates lates 20, sist of nickel-pldte'd: steel-frames ofgrids having openings in which are contained pockets 24 of finely perforated nickel-plated steel. These'pockets have compressed there- 21, 29 ail d2?) con-' in electrolytically active finfel divided'iron or iron oxid, as is describe in my priorpatents. The no ative lates 20, 21, 22 and 23 are mechanics. ly an electrically secured together by a rod 25 passing transversely through the same near their upper ends. Metal sleeves'27 are threaded on the rod for spacing apart the negative lates 2 0, 21, 22 and 28. The rod is screw t readed at each end. Nuts 26, 26 are provided'for securing are mechanically but not electrically connected by the rods 30 and 31. Suitable means are provided at the-.ends of the rods 30 and 31 for securing the plates and sleeves in place, such as a head atone end and a nut at, the other. The terminalG is securedto the rod 15 in any suitable manner, as for example, by providing the lower end of the been drawn in place.

terminal 6 with an opening through which the rod passes. The terminal 6is then clamped betweentwo'portions 17 of the sleeve 17. The terminal 5 is connected in a similar manner. tothe rod'25.- The terminals 5 and 6 are" provided with shoulders 33 and 34 respec ively and: with reduced screwthreaded portions above these shoulders.' The terminals 5and 6 are provided with insulating washers 85 for insulating the terminals fromthe cover 2 of the me' tallic container after the plate structure has i The terminals b and dare provided with nuts 36 forfsecu'ring them to the cover 2 in such a way that the cover.

entire plate structure is suspended from the Lock nuts 37 are provided for the nuts 36. Additional nuts 37' are provided to facilitate the attachment of the-terminals to conducting wires. The rod 31 is'provided with extensions 38 and 39, the ends of which are in contact-with the interior walls of the containing vessel, orn'early so, and serve to position the plate structure a in the container and toprevent electrical I connection between the plates andthe container. I

The gas vent includes a plu'g'40 having an opening extending vertically therethrough and having an edge 41 in the interior of the opening constituting a valve seat for the valve 42, The 'valve-42makes line contact only with the seat. The valve 42 is provided f with a stem having a lower portion 43 ex-. tending through a guidin gmember45 fixed across the lower part of t e'opening in the;

pl'ug 40' and van upper portion-'44 extending through a; erforation i1 1 the perforated cover 46, w ich extends across the upperpart. of the opening through the'plug'40; The bottom of the plug 40 is -provided'with openings .45 to permit the gases to pass from the cell into the interior of theplu'g;

The cover 46 is preventedjrom beingdisplaced upwardly by means ,of the' flanged" retaining member 47 which is threaded upon. the exterior of'the upper part of the plug 40,-and is limited in movement downward by the stops or keys 46- adapted abut against the top of the plug 40 and to be received in recesses therein, A spring 481s] prov-idedm order to press the valve 40 normally into contact with the seat 41. ."lhe',

spring 48 is coiled around the .upper portion 44 of the valve stem and the cover 46 serves as anabutrnent' for the spring. A

cap 49 is located above the cover 46 and is screw threaded thereto. Thepressure of the spring 48 on the valve 42 may be ad- 'justed by means of the flanged retaining ,member 47 and openings 47 are provided to permit th s adjustment to be made-by means of a spanner wrench; The spring 48 is proportioned and adjusted so as to press thevalve 42 upon its seat sufiiciently firmly i to prevent the escape of electrolyte from the container in whatever position the cell may be placed, as for example, when lying on its side or inverted, but permitting the escape otthe gases evolved in the opera tion of the battery when the pressure of ithe same becomes great enough, that'is to,

say, the valve is adjusted to operate only when the pressure within the containerfis' greater than a pressurecorrespondin to the head of electrogte in the cell; a matter of practice, have foundfth'at' with a battery having an electrolyte *h'ei ht of fromthree to three and one-half inc es, it

is advantageous to adjust the spring so that the valve will operate" when the pressure within the container reaches from two and so one-half to threepounds per square inch,

but my, invention is not limitedi to :these valves.

In the escape of the gasesevolved dur-' ing the operation of the battery, small bubbles of 'electrolyte are carried by the gases,

andin'pa ssing through thenarrow opening between the" valve and its seat, when the" valvei's' operated by the gas ressure, the bubbles-are. burst and the liquid the electrolyte. The gases escape into the f external atmosphere through the perfora returned to tions 28 -in 'the perforated cover 46.-*Inas'- L hasja re'ducedportion '501which is screw threaded and adaptedto, be screwed into the flanged opening 7' in the .tjop 2' of the-container 1.." The plug 40 has also a; shoulder l or flange 51 whose periphery is so shaped as tobe adapted to be engaged by a wrench. to screw the vent structure into place. i A ,rubber w'asher 52 may be employed between the shoulder or flan'gefil and the top 2 of the container 1 to prevent leakage around 20 the plug. The entire cell is preferably made gas-tight except at the outlet afiorded bythe valve when the pressure within 'the'cell be'-.

comes great enough to operate the valvel' In-Fig. 9, a modifiedvform of my im proved valve is illustrated, in which the spring is located within the moist atmosphere "of the; interior of the cell, whereby; any tendency to the formation of incrustationsof'potash or. other. salts fromvthe electrolvte noon the spring is Gvercome Tn this:

' modification, the lower portion .43 of the stem is extended. downwardly and provided at its lower end with-adjustable nuts 53 constituting a head. The spring 48 is coiled around the lower portion of the stem .and is confined between. the head 53 and the bottom 54 of the plug. The plug is provided With-openings 55 'in the lower portion nuts53.

All of the parts of my improved storage battery cell. and-valve or vent are preferably made of nickel-plated steel, except where it .is stated herein that other materials are employed.

, Having now described my invention,-vvhat j I claim anddesire to protect by Letters Patent is as follows 1. In a storage battery, a cylindrical me tallic'container and a unitarys'tructure sus' pended from the container cover comprising positive and negative plates, and'means for rigidly connecting together allof said plates, said means comprising conducting means for connecting the positive plates together, conducting means for connecting the negative plates together, and meansfor connecting allot said plates together, the last mentioned means including a rod extending through all of the plates and insulated therefrom, the length of the rod being approximately equal to the internal diameter of the'cylindrical container, and said rod being" adapted to keep the plate structure out of contact with the container, substantially as described; I

2. In a. storage battery, a container, positive plates and negative plates alternately arranged Within the container, a pair of ,ver-

tically disposed terminals having their upper ends extended through the container cover and supported therefrom, a rod extended through the upper portions of said positive plates and through the lower end of one of said terminals to connect the same mechanically and electrically, a'rod extended through the upper ends of said nega tive plates and through theilower end of the other of said terminals to connect the same mechanically and electrically, the lower ends of said terminals being located substantially half WaybetWeen the ends of said rods,and additional means for con-' nectin'g mechanically and spacing apart all of said plates, vsaid plates being supported from the container cover by said terminals and rods, substantially. as described.

This specification signed and witnessed this 30th day of December, 1911.

THOS. A. EDISON. Witnesses:

HENRY LANAHAN, ANNA R..KLEHM. 

